We're sick of people assuming the Bates family doesn't value women's education

The Bates family may be super conservative, but that doesn't mean education isn't important to them

Bringing Up Bates celebrated Carlin and Trace's high school graduation tonight, and it proved just how much the family values education and encourages their children to follow their dreams, no matter what they may be.

I keep hearing on the internet from critics of the family, who think that the Bates family ascribes to some value that believes a woman's job is only to pop out babies. Of course, the Bates family is more conservative than your average joe. And yes, they do place a lot of value on the family, but they are far from of the opinion that their children should simply get married and pop out little ones.

All you have to do is look at the pursuits of their kids to know that. Lawson is pursing his music in Tennessee. Alyssa and her husband have a business together. Michaela is currently finishing up her associate degree. Erin got her degree in music ministry. Tori is studying at the Crown College. And Zach has a great career with the police.

Yes, the family homeschools their children, but they very much encourage higher education after high school if that's what the kids want.

Tonight's episode couldn't have come at a more appropriate time, since I wrote my article last week about Erin Bates' pregnancy struggles and got a ton of commenters saying that she was putting her life at risk by trying to fulfill some wifely duty that people believe the Bates family ascribes to.

"... her and her family have no talent or skill other than laying on their backs with legs open," one commenter said.

Another added, "She belongs to a religious cult that tells women to keep on having children even if it kills them."

"What we're judging is a religious cult where women have no value except as breeders and that they need to keep having children even if it endangers their health or kills them," one said after another commenter tried to set the record straight about Erin's motherhood plans.

All you have to do is watch the show to know that Erin genuinely wants a family and wants another baby. She already has baby No. 1., Carson, but it isn't unreasonable to think that a woman would try to expand her family even if there were risks.

Is she planning on having 19 kids? No, probably not. But she has every right to want to conceive a second child. And it is her decision, not that of her family's. The girls have been very public on the show about how many kids they want to have. Alyssa has said that she wants six, max, while Michaela and Tori both seem to want larger families. Still, no one is pressured with the fires of hell to pop out babies. That's just ridiculous.

As for Carlin, she said her post-high school plans are to get her degree. She's already started taking online classes, in fact.

Do you think the criticism the Bates family receives for their beliefs is unfair?